Spanish duchess forbidden from marrying toy boy by children

Spain's highest ranking noble is to petition the Spanish queen after plans to
marry her toy boy were scuppered by her children.

By Fiona Govan in Madrid

3:03PM BST 29 Sep 2008

The 82-year-old Duchess of Alba, who has more than 150 titles and is said to be able to travel the length of the country without leaving her estates, hoped to marry an antique dealer 25 years her junior in a secret ceremony this month.

But the plans were discovered by her children who - fearing for their inheritance - vetoed the match, apparently with the backing of Spain's King Juan Carlos.

The twice-widowed Duchess will now ask Queen Sofia to intercede in her favour.

Since the death of her second husband seven years ago, the Duchess has been romantically linked to family friend, Alfonso Diez Carabantes, 58, and she recently declared that they planned to elope.

"It's true that I planned to marry. We were both full of enthusiasm for the idea," she told Hola! magazine earlier this month.

But within days an official statement was released from the House of Alba stating that there was no truth in the wedding plans.

"In the light of reports about the relationship between the Duchess of Alba and Alfonso Diez, this House emphasises only the affectionate friendship between the Duchess and Mr Diez, there being no plans whatsoever of matrimony," the communiqué said.

The headstrong Duchess, who is reportedly suffering from a degenerative illness and last week attended her grandson's wedding in a wheelchair, has refused to give up the idea of spending her twilight years with her partner of choice.

"They don't want me to marry," she complained of her children last week. "But they change partners more often than I do." Five of her six offspring made high profile marriages that ended in divorce.

It is thought that the wedding plans were vehemently opposed by three of her children, including the oldest son Carlos, who currently stands to inherit everything on his mother's death.

The other three children, including her only daughter Eugenia, have reportedly said privately that they will support their mother in any decision that makes her happy.